She's Human, Too
by Pyronic
Summary: Set during Max’s breakdown scene in chapters 101103. Fang’s protective, and slightly loving, thoughts on the whole ordeal.


_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Maximum Ride, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Angel, Gazzy, etc., etc. The characters; plot; etc., etc., belong to the best selling author known as James Patterson. NOT. ME. _

_Cool, huh? _

_**Summary: **Set during Max's breakdown scene in chapters 101-103. Fang's protective, and slightly loving, thoughts on the whole ordeal. _

_**Notes: **I make no promises on continuation. It all depends on whether or not I really want to. _

_**Warnings: **Language, thoughts **of** thoughts on suicide, and threats of violence/murder. Oh, and spoilers for Maximum Ride: School's Out – Forever. Enjoy. _

She's Human,Too

**H**

_'Fly. Faster. Faster. Faster, you idiot! No, not that fast! You'll fucking lose the others!' _

For once in my entire existence, I was having trouble forming coherent thought. For the first time _ever_, I wasn't stopping myself to consider the consequences.

_'You're going to lose her, you moron! Fly **faster**.' _

It wasn't because Max was missing. I could handle the fact that she had flown off. She'd done it before, and this probably wouldn't be the last time she did so, either. It was just the way she was – the way she had always been. Max always had to be the 'mom'. She felt as though it were her duty – her responsibility – to take care of, and protect, the rest of the flock. Even me. It has _always_ pissed me off that Max felt that way; that she saw me as a little kid that needed to be protected.

So whenever she flew off to be, in Iggy's words, "Oh my fucking gosh heroic", I let her do it. I never feared for her. Worried a little, maybe, sure. But I never actually felt scared for her safety.

This time was completely different.

There had been tears in her eyes. Times were rare when I got to see the almighty Maximum Ride cry, so I assumed it was just a headache. She had _told_ me that it was just a headache. I, being utterly, fucking stupid, didn't catch the pained undertones in her voice until it was too late.

"See you at the beach." Was all she had said before she had disappeared in the blink of an eye. Damn the stupid new ability of hers.

Damn _her_ for making _me_ scared.

"Fang?" Angel's soft, worried whisper snapped me out of my loathsome thoughts like a whip, and my gaze darted toward her. Max's baby, my baby, everyone's baby. She was struggling to hold Total in her arms (how had he gotten there?), which were already weak with the fright that was pumping through her veins. A quick scan told me that everyone was. Max had never left us alone before. Not without a reason, and never in a state like that.

_Never_.

"Iggy," I snapped, drawing my friend's attention further toward me. "Take Total before he falls again. I'm going to fly on up. Meet me ahead." Again, I wasn't thinking rationally. Flying Erasers, and I was leaving them behind without myself or Max there to defend them. I have more important stuff on my mind right now, though. And if any Eraser so much as growls at them, their head will be, quite painfully, detached from their refrigerator bodies.

I spread my wings out further, giving them just a second to adjust, and then gave them a vicious beat. Two of them, and I'm already miles away from the rest of the flock. Five more, and I can't even feel them. But I begin to feel Max. It's faint, but familiar. A soothing presence that has been beside me since we first met. I beat my wings faster still. The scent of the ocean assaults my senses, but Max's presence doesn't seem to be getting any closer.

_'What's got you upset, Max?' _I thought silently, as though she would hear my thoughts and reply. _'Is it Ari? Is it Jed? Is it that damn voice?' _

Whatever it was, I vowed I would fucking kill it. Anything that felt they could break Max like that was definitely at the top of my hit list.

_'Just stop, Max,' _I pleaded. _'Just stop.' _

And just like that, her feeling suddenly grew closer. In the back of my mind, I made a mental note to make ask her if telepathy was, or was not, a new addition to her powers.

Her presence was growing rapidly closer now. It was beginning to fill the gap that had formed when she had left. I could feel my energy returning in leaps and bounds, and gave my wings another pump. The smell of the ocean was overpowering, and for a moment, I entertained the idea that she had actually gone to the beach. Entertained the idea that she had just needed a few minutes to think.

But then I began to feel her emotions, as I've always been able to do. They were erratic, and powerful. Max was distressed; angry, sad, and unpredictable. Accompanied with something else. Something unfortunately all too common to me – something that sent a spike of fear racing down my spine.

The bitter scent of blood.

I tucked my wings in tighter, increasing my speed. I could spot the ocean easily enough now. And with a sharp focus, I saw a lone figure, with dropping wings, kneeling in the sand.

_Max. _

At the last second, my wings expanded, and I hit the soft, cool sand with a gentle thud. Not even bothering to see if the others had caught up, I raced toward her, the scent of blood so strong I felt as though I were back at the School.

I could see it now – could see what she was doing. Blood flowed freely from her wrist, pouring down onto the sand. I was standing over her in an instant.

"What the hell are you doing?" I shouted, slapping the shell away from her bloody hand. "Are you _crazy_?"

She glared up at me, and I froze. Vaguely, I registered the rest of the flock landing around us, but I paid them no mind. Max's eyes, once so beautifully breathtaking, were now haunted. I could see no sign of the girl I once knew. All I could see was Jeb's creation, beaten and destroyed, nearly beyond repair.

"Want the chip out," she whispered brokenly, a sob noticeably locked in her throat. I responded the only way I could.

Yelling.

"Look where you're cutting!" I snapped. "You're going to bleed to death, you _idiot_!" I ripped my backpack off my shoulders, yanking out the First Aid supplies. I was so blinded with my overwhelming emotions that I dumped the antiseptic on her gash without a thought to her comfort. She winced.

"Max." I heard Nudge say as she knelt down beside us. "What were you doing?"

_What were you doing, Max? _

"I wanted the chip out," she murmured again, and I couldn't stand how lost she sounded.

"Well, forget it!" I growled, bandaging her arm gently despite my tone. "The chip stays in. You don't get off that easy! _You_ die when _we_ die!"

She looked up at me again, and I noticed her studying me.

Do you see how bad you scared me, Max? Do you see how much you mean to me? To Nudge, Gazzy, Iggy, and Angel?

_You fucking scared me_!

"I'm sorry," she whispered brokenly, and before I could respond, she burst into tears.

My anger toward her dissipated the second the first tear hit the sand. Without a second's hesitation, I pulled her toward me, wrapping her in a protective embrace. She drew her wings in and leaned against me, sobbing into my shoulder.

Rage swelled up inside my chest. Rage against hundreds of people, many of whom I didn't even know. Rage toward Jeb and Ann, for wanting this done to Max. Rage toward the fucking scientists who _created_ her. Rage toward Jeb alone, for betraying her – for using her. Rage toward whoever wanted to use her as a fucking weapon.

Rage toward the damn voice that forever plagued her mind. Rage toward the damn chip that had driven her to believe her last hope was suicide.

My heart clenched as Max gripped me tighter, her tears still coming. Angel was stroking her hair, Nudge was shushing her. Iggy was trying his best to be comforting, and Gazzy was frightened stiff.

The people who had created us were scientists. Heartless scientists who believed we had no souls. That we were here simply for their pleasure – for their purpose. And though I'm not happy to admit it, since we had been chased from our home and betrayed by Jeb, I had started to believe that was true.

But holding Max in my arms, trying my best to shield her from those very thoughts, out me in a whole new prospective. I looked up to the sky, a grim look on my face, and gripped Max tighter.

_'Fuck you, morons,' _I thought viciously. _'She's not your fucking tool.' _

_'She's human, assholes. She's human, too.' _

**End**

_I wrote this because I was incredibly disappointed on the lack of fanfiction for that part – and for the whole second book in general. I might continue, I might not. Either way, you know how it goes. Click review and leave your thoughts. _

_Gracias, _

_Me_


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